Have you heard the news? For the first time ever, Ridge will be releasing a VERY limited-production chardonnay from the famed and elusive Jimsomare designation!
Members of our ATP program will have first crack at this rarity throughout the month of April, and then, fates willing, it will come into the tasting rooms in May.
I tasted this wine on the 12th of March, and I offer you below my tasting notes, as well as winery notes from winemaker Eric Baugher, penned in September of 2009.
2008 Ridge Vineyards Jimsomare Chardonnay
Pale straw-yellow tones in the glass, interwoven with warm gold highlights, and exhibiting both great clarity and rich viscosity. Hints of wheat and yeast on the nose, balanced by some citrus, a strong minerality, and a nice spread of multiple strains of pear (Bosc, Anjou, and especially Bartlett). Weighty on the palate, and even warmer and more viscous than the aromatics foreshadow; toasty, but not burnt, with compelling hints of warmed milk and crème fraiche. The finish is long and chest-fillingly pleasant, balancing a savory toasted-honey character with a sparkling re-display of mountain minerality. (CW, 3.12.10)
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2008 Chardonnay, Jimsomare, bottled 1/10
The vines awoke to an early spring, as a warm February pushed growth ahead of schedule. Two consecutive years of below-average rainfall, and the absence of any late-spring storms, caused water stress in the upper-elevation parcel. On September seventh, the fruit was hand-harvested and whole-cluster pressed. Next morning, the juice was aerated by pump-over, then moved to american oak barrels for natural primary fermentation. The cool cellar slowed progress toward dryness, but the uninoculated malolactic finished quickly-by early February. Aged on the lees for eleven months, the wine was stirred every two weeks and developed great texture. In late summer, when assemblage usually takes place, we confirmed that its unique set of flavors called for a separate bottling. Sweet fruit and supple balance suggest that this appealing chardonnay will be most enjoyable through 2011.
EB (9/09)
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As an extra perk, we’ll be doing a sneak preview of this wine at our April First Friday, just a few days away! For more on this event, please pursue the following link:
http://www.ridgewine.com/taf/calendar.taf?date=4/01/2010#227
Cheers!
